IN THE HUDDLE

So here we are in sunny Miami, where the college football team hasn’t been relevant for a decade, and Tide quarterback AJ McCarron dropped this interesting nugget:

He grew up a Hurricanes fan. And -- and-- he never really was an Alabama fan. Imagine that.

His dad and mom were (and are, obviously) Alabama fans. He was a high school star in Alabama. He was born to play for Alabama.

Yet he knew nothing of all things Crimson. He was asked Saturday – like many before him and most certainly after him – about the Tide tradition and iconic coach Bear Bryant.

“I was never an Alabama fan,” McCarron said. “Don’t know the history at all.”

There you have it, Tide fans. The player who could eventually become the greatest quarterback in the history of the most dominant program in college football – who could win four BCS National Championship rings (three as a starter) – doesn’t know the history.

THREE AND OUT

1. Vegas still loves the Tide. At most sports books, the line for the game still is double digits. One Vegas book has it as high as 10.5 points. That means the money still favors Alabama, and as we all know, Vegas rarely is this wrong in these big games. That’s sarcasm, everyone.

2. T.J. Yeldon has had one of the more overlooked and undervalued freshmen seasons this year. His 1,000 yards rushing as a part-time back is an improbable milestone, and he’s still learning the nuances of the position. One Alabama staffer admitted Saturday: “He’ll be better than (former Alabama All-American) Trent (Richardson).”

3. Alabama center Barrett Jones has taken off a walking boot he has used outside practice for the past few weeks. His left foot, injured in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, is apparently completely healed. Now, the process of going head-to-head with 357-pound Notre Dame noseguard Louis Nix III is another issue altogether.